EastEnders Update

Alfie to return

Lovable rogue Alfie Moon is going to return to EastEnders later this year. Actor Shane Ritchie is reprising the role after departing the Square in 2005 with Kat (Jessie Wallace). The question will now be whether Alfie's wife Kat will return to Walford with him?

Shooting Drama

Former Policeman Jack Branning's life will be under threat after he is shot in the next few months. The reason why Jack, played by Scott Maslen is shot is still unknown. Could he find himself embroiled in nephew Billie Jackson's problems or will one of Jack's enemies come back for revenge?

Alfie picture from HelloMagazine

Jack picture from The Sun

The Final Season Premiere of Lost

The sixth and final series of Lost started on Sky One on Friday night and as expected the two hour premiere provided more questions than answers.

The series opener began with a look at what would have happened if the Oceanic Flight 815 had never crashed, adding another dimension and direction on a show that has already jumped backwards and forwards more times than I can count.

The passage saw much-loved characters briefly interacting, including Jack and Locke bonding over lost cargo and the fan-pleasing return of some old faces, including Boone, Charlie and Claire.

The emotional pull from the drama-filled 120 minute premiere came in the passing of Juliet. Sawyer's love interest managed to survive the explosion at the end of series five which transported the group back to the present day but soon after being rescued she passed away in Sawyer's arms. The scene may have been overly cheesy and predictable but in a series where death on-screen rarely means a final appearance, it is likely we will see her again.

Juliet's passing also meant for the return of the Sawyer and Jack feud, a storyline that has been bubbling under and often exploding on screen during the first five series.

One of the advantages for the creators of Lost is that their show allows for the endless creation of new locations and plots that make little sense to anyone but somehow to brilliantly fit into the plot of the show. On Friday we got the first glimpse of The Temple and the first look at another set of 'others', fans of all five series will have also noticed that these others included the original flight attendant from Flight 815.

It was at The Temple where Sayid, who was shot during the last series made his reappearance. After being shot Sayid was close to death but he was miraculously brought back to live in the water by the mysterious others, only for them to then drown him seconds later. But in Lost that would never be the end and the premiere ended with Sayid coming back to life once more. Still following? This could only happen in Lost!

The biggest enigma on the show and during the premiere was John Locke. The man who seems strangely at home on the island was last seen confronting Jacob before manipulating Ben to kill him. But at the same time Locke's body was in a box on the beach! If his storyline couldn't get anymore confusing in a shocking twist Locke turned out to be the menacing black smoke monster that had been terrorising the island for the first five series. Brilliant performances from Terry O'Quinn and mind-boggling twists have pushed John Locke to the forefront of the mystery surrounding the island.

The series may not be addictive as it once was, mainly due to how confusing the plot has become but the desire for answers will keep fans and viewers hooked throughout the final series.

Picture from TVFanatic.com

Underdog Alex Reid wins CBB

The British public always love the underdog, the hero or heroine that wins against the odds and last night Alex Reid, the underdog in the Celebrity Big Brother (CBB) house stormed to victory.

In front of the cameras and millions watching at home, waiting for any moment of weakness or wrong-doing, the CBB house seems like an unlikely venue for the underdog, for redemption. But Alex Reid, famous only for dating the infamous Katie Price (aka Jordan) left the house last night the winner, only weeks after being roundly booed upon his arrival.

But Alex's surprising victory is not the only example of how the BB house can apparently turn-around public opinion in a matter of weeks. In 2009 Ulrika Jonsson, famed for her affair with Sven- Eriksson and the different fathers of her four children, claimed victory on CBB after another surprising change of heart from the British public.

Alex Reid beat Stephanie Beacham, Jonas Altberg, Vinnie Jones and Jordan's ex Dane Bowers to the last ever CBB crown last night.

Picture from BBC

Ant and Dec, Doctor Who triumph at NTAs

There were few surprises at the National Television Awards last night with TV favourites Ant and Dec and David Tennant both winning 2 awards.

The event, held for the first time at the O2 arena and hosted by Dermot O'Leary celebrated a fantastic year of television across all the terrestrial channels.

Television's favourite duo Ant and Dec won Entertainment Presenter and Entertainment Programme for Saturday Night Takeaway. After winning the Entertainment Presenter award for the last nine consecutive years the pair still managed to look shocked as their names were read out.

The now departed Doctor Who David Tennant triumphed as he won Drama Performance and Most Popular Drama for the iconic BBC1 show.

One of the largest celebrations of the night came when Loose Women won Factual Programme, beating Top Gear, Come Dine With Me and The Apprentice.

Gavin and Stacey, which recently aired its third and final series won the award for Comedy Programme whilst X Factor triumphed over Strictly Come Dancing in the battle of the talent shows.

The multi-talented Stephen Fry won the first ever Star Travel Documentary award for Stephen Fry In America and later was surprised with the Special Recognition Award for his contribution to television.

The surprise of the night came as Coronation Street triumphed over EastEnders in the serial drama categories, winning Serial Drama and Newcomer for Craig Gazey's portrayal of Graeme Proctor. But EastEnders did win one award as Lacey Turner won the Serial Drama Performance award for her brilliant performance as troubled Stacey Slater.

For a full list of winners click here
Picture from Now

Glenda Mitchell: First Impression

Tonight in EastEnders we were given the first proper look at the newest face in the Mitchell family album, Ronnie and Roxy's mum Glenda.

Glenda, played by 54-year-old Glynis Barber strolled back into her daughter's lifes' last night, 21 years after abandoning them in a bid to escape her husband Archie.

Considering Glynis reportedly only had a very short time to prepare for the role, she did a fine job as the surprisingly posh Glenda. A striking resemblance to on-screen daughter Sam Womack means we can look past the fact that she doesn't quite look old enough to be their mum and a believable former love-rival to Peggy.

Glenda's emotional reunion, especially the scenes with Ronnie and Peggy worked well and we saw a flash of the more unpredictable and bitchy side to Glenda, a complex character that promises much for 2010. Clearly harbouring a lot more skeletons in her closet, Glenda also provides another twist in the saga of Archie's lies and murder.

Picture from The Mirror

Doctor Who, 'The End Of Time'

Every avid Doctor Who fan knew the moment was coming but as the much-loved David Tennant took his final bow as The Doctor, before regenerating into Matt Smith, you could not help but sit back it shock and amazement, a small tear in your eye as The Doctor proclaimed that he "didn't want to go". I did not want David Tennant to go either but the also departing Russel T Davies and the team behind Doctor Who managed to improve on a disappointing part one to give him an emotionally powerful and enjoyable final showing in part two of 'The End Of Time'.

It came as some surprise, that part one of the final installment was such a disappointment. The story seemed dis-jointed, lacking direction and the spark in the script that David Tennant can wonderfully portray on screen. Despite this all the cast played their part, Bernard Cribbins gave a heartwarming performance as The Doctor's make-shift companion Wilf and John Simm recreated the captivating Master for both part one and two.

Two striking similarities between the parts was how they both only managed to kick-start as the climax approached. Part one failed to ignite until the final moments, where The Master quite wonderfully created the so-called 'master race' as he changed every human (minus Donna and Wilf) into him, while part two managed to grab the audience for David Tennant's final 30 minutes. Hurtling towards Earth on board the Vinvocci Spacecraft with Wilf and two cacti like characters that added nothing to the storyline, The Doctor lept through a glass roof and straight back into the action once more.

While The Doctor's tedious gun-wielding indecision on whether to shot The Master, the returning Time Lords or nothing at all was probably necessary in the showdown that the Time Lords return was there to create, it was not until Wilf and The Doctor began their dialogue that I was properly engrossed. There was an eerie silence as I watched Wilf bang on the glass four times, the four knocks that The Doctor had been warned about. The Doctor's inevitable decision of self-sacrifice and the whole scene itself only worked so well because of the great chemistry and empathy the pair create on-screen together.

David Tennant's blistering performance as The Doctor over the last few years could quite easily have merited a barn-storming finish filled with action, explosions and enemies but Davies decided on an emotional farewell as The Doctor briefly visited old friends Martha, Mickey, Sarah Jane, Rose and Captain Jack. Returning to the Tardis alone the transformation begun and as we said goodbye to David Tennant and hello to Matt Smith and his energetic and promising cameo, it is fair to say that after a slow start, one of the best ever Doctors just about got the send-off he rightly deserved.

Picture from Digital Spy

Archie's murder: The suspects

There was no one in Albert Square with a longer list of enemies than Archie Mitchell and on Christmas Day one of them finally killed evil Archie, but who was the one who gave that final push of the Queen Victoria bust?

Narrowing down a list of suspects in nearly impossible, actually your likely to find more people that wanted Archie dead than alive. Since his arrival in Albert Square Archie has lied, manipulated and thrown his family out onto the street, with the amount of people he has hurt it is a surprise he had lasted this long in a place like Walford! With the big reveal planned for the live episode in February viewers have plenty of time to try and work out the culprit......

First up is wife Peggy....The matriarch of the Mitchell family was left devastated after Archie robbed her of The Vic. Desperate to get back what was rightfully hers Peggy may have been pushed to kill her husband after visiting him on Christmas Day.

Next up is Peggy's son Phil......After hitting the booze again unpredictable Phil threatened to kill Archie and a blood stained shirt discovered by Shirley is a piece of evidence Phil burnt very quickly. Whilst in a drunken state Phil is capable of anything I'm not sure pushing Queen Victoria's head onto Archie is Phil's style.

The most vengeful of all the Mitchell family has to be Ronnie.....Her manipulate dad has ruined her life, lying about her daughter Danielle's existence that eventually lead to Danielle's death left Ronnie devastated and Archie may have pushed Ronnie too far when he pushed her against the bar, causing her to lose her unborn child. But could Ronnie actually go through with murdering her own father?

The final Mitchell on the list is Sam....After appearing unexpectedly on Christmas Day Sam learnt about her beloved uncle's deception. Peggy's daughter has already been there before when Dirty Den meet a grisly end in The Vic, but would Sam actually go through that again in revenge?

In an effort to destroy the Mitchell empire Archie manipulated dangerous Janine.....She has a record for killing off partners, Barry's plunge down a cliff is evidence of that and I just can't understand the apparent 'feelings' that money-hungry Janine had for a man old enough to be her father. But after being thrown out by Archie on Christmas Day Janine had a motive and we know she, like Archie, is capable of anything...

Archie never saw eye-to-eye with hot-headed former Policeman Jack Branning.......After starting a relationship with Ronnie and then sleeping with her sister Roxy, which lead to daughter Amy's conception, Jack has never been firm friends with their protective dad Archie. Jack has a temper and his love for Ronnie may have pushed him to kill the man that has hurt her so much...

Kind-hearted Bradley Branning just doesn't seem the type....But after learning that partner Stacey was pregnant after Archie forced himself on her Bradley seemingly lost control. We already know Bradley stormed round to confront Archie, punching him hard enough to knock Archie down but did Bradley return to the pub later to exact the ultimate revenge?

Last of my many top suspects is Ian Beale.....The cafe owner got involved with Archie after he manipulated Ian into selling him the Mitchell's debts and his key to the Queen Vic. Weaselly Ian took the bait but later in a desperate attempt to retrieve the evidence of his 'night' with Janine Ian ransacked The Vic and stole Archie's laptop, but did he decide to silence Archie for good?

The outsiders....Daughter Roxy, victim Stacey, Janine's on/off lover Ryan or returning Ex-wife Glenda.

My bet......Whilst Peggy or Ronnie would have the strongest motive I think producers brought Sam back for a reason, she may not have meant to kill Archie but Peggy's beloved daughter has a history and has now vanished off once again...

Picture from Digital Spy